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Over the past
10 to 15 years the city of St. Petersburg has
been changing its reputation of a sleepy town
full of retirement homes and bingo halls to a
vibrant, modern city full of families and young
professionals. Regentrification efforts are present
in family friendly neighborhoods, apartments and
downtown shops and restaurants. St. Petersburg
is also becoming a cultural mecca as it is home
to world class museums, a symphony and theater
productions. In addition the city’s peninsular
location allows for coastal breezes coming from
both the east and the west.
Housing
St. Petersburg housing is an eclectic mix of architectural
styles including gorgeously rennovated historic
homes and apartment buildings, cute bungalows
and cottages and luxury condos and apartments,
some in high rise buildings with fantastic views.
Neighborhoods feature mature trees, shady, wide
sidewalks that beg to be strolled along. Homes
and apartments, especially in the Old Northeast
area of St. Pete each have distinct character.
Things
To Do
St Petersburg is home to several world class museums
including the newly designed Salvador Dali Museum,
the Florida Holocaust Museum and the Museum of
Fine Arts. The city is of course home to Tropicana
Field where the Tampa Bay Rays’ play. There
are also two popular concert venues The Social
and well-known Jannus Landing, an outdoor venue.
Golf courses include the public Mangrove Bay Golf
Course, Twin Brooks and Cypress Links. Private
golf courses and country clubs include the Renaissance
Vinoy Golf Club, St. Petersburg Golf and Country
Club and the Isla Del Sol Yacht and Country Club.
Other outdoor activities include Coffee Pot Bayou,
famous for its manatee sightings; Crescent Lake
Park which features a dog park, wilderness area,
tennis courts and baseball field; Boyd Hill Nature
preserve, which features nature trails, boardwalks,
bird of prey aviary and camping; Sunken Gardens,
St. Petersburg's oldest living museum that is
home to some of the oldest tropical plants in
the region; Kopsick Palm Arboretum which features
more than 500 palms and cycads representing some
150 species from around the world.
Indoor entertainment includes movie theaters Baywalk,
Muvico 20, the American Stage Theatre Company,
Progress Energy Center Theatre for the Arts and
the St. Petersburg Little Theater.
Dining
and Shopping
Residents of St. Petersburg enjoy shopping and
dining at the new Baywalk Plaza which features
White House Black Market, Engel and Volkers, Happy
Feet and Chicos, as well as Messineo's Gourmet
Market, International Bistro and Durtie Nellie’s
Irish Pub. Shopping and dining on the waterfront
is offered by Parkshore Plaza which features a
variety of restaurants, bars and specialty shops.
Walking downtown along Central Avenue there are
even more restaurants, bars, unique stores, boutiques
and other stores. Additional shopping is also
available in the Tyrone Square Mall.
Traffic and
Driving
Most St. Petersburg neighborhoods are in close
proximity to I-275 which travels north and south.
Traveling north will take you across the bay into
Tampa and traveling south will take you across
the bay just north of Bradenton via the famous
Skyway Bridge. The Gandy Bridge can also be easily
accessed and travels into Tampa. There are many
one way streets in downtown St. Petersburg, however
many have been converted to two way streets and
more will be changed in the future.
Schools
There are more than 10 public elementary schools
and seven middle schools in St. Petersburg. Public
high schools are Gibbs, Dixie Hollins, Lakewood,
Life Skills Center, Northeast and St. Petersburg
High. There are also many private schools in this
area including Wellington Schools of St Petersburg,
Transfiguration Catholic School, The Canterbury
School, St. Pete Prep, Shorecrest Prep, Southside
Christian, Pinellas Marine Institute and more.
Colleges in this area include ITT Technical Institute,
St. Petersburg College, University of South Florida-St
Petersburg Campus and several others.
Business
Commerce in St. Petersburg is generated by a wide
variety of industries including tourism, shopping
and dining, banking, commercial development and
medical services including four highly ranked
hospitals. The continuing regentrification of
St. Petersburg allows for many opportunities for
new restaurants, shops and museums. |
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